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Winterbourne Church
by Shipway
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Winterbourne Church

by Shipway

This transcription is taken from the typed original draft of "Winterbourne Church" complete with corrections in ink, which is in the possession of John Turner and is annotated "Mr Shipway to C.R.H."
In the text it mentions Canon Burrough who died later, in 1931. C R Hudlestone finally published his own Winterbourne Church history in 1937, so it looks like Shipway was giving C R H a helping hand, before 1931.

WINTERBOURNE CHURCH.                                     1.

A burial ground probably existed in very early times.  An Act 
passed in Saxon times required every village to provide a
burial ground within its bounds.  It is possible that an early
Church may have existed here( the Saxons sometimes built their
churches with wood), but the first record which I have found
is in 1281, when the bishop of Worcester (in which diocese W'.
was until the reign of Henry VIII) ordered a Commission to be
held to arrange between the Abbot of St. Augustines, Bristol,
& the Rector of W'. as to the boundaries in regard to tythes.
( The outlying part of W'. bordered Almondsbury, which then be-
longed to the Abbey).  In 1286 there was a Commission to enquire
into an act of violence committed in W'church by the Carmelite
brethren, of Bristol.
The "White Book" of Worcester Abbey states that on Oct. 2.
1332 a pension of £20 was granted to William of Hedingdone,
Rector of W'."where he had built the church", on his resignation.
The original church may have consisted of the present chancel
only.  It seems that it owes its present dimensions to Sir
Thomas de Bradeston,who was knighted in 1330, & died in 1360,
he founded the chantry of St. Michael(undoubtedly under the
tower) & probably also built the manor chapel.  He was lord
of the manor of W'., but whether he & other members of his
family were buried in the manor chapel,or in the chapel of
St. Michael,is not clear. Anthony Bradston,lord of the manor
in his will dated 28 June 1549, desires to be buried "in the
chancel of St. Michael the Archangel in the parish church of


W'bourne."                                                 2.
Such records as may have existed of the subsequent history
of the church may have been destroyed in the fire, which
occurred( about 1880) at W'. Court, where many documents had
been sent for safety.  In 1843 a faculty was granted for (1)
taking down the whole of the N.&W.& a portion of the S. walls
& also the pillars supporting the roof of the church, & re-
building the same walls & pillars; (2) converting the present
vestry into a Southern porch & disusing the entrance at the
W. wall; (3) building a new vestry at the E. End of the small
chapel. (The north window of the chancel must have been blocked  
in at this time;)The present vestry was built in 1880,when
that building was taken down.    
The old priest's door into the chancel remains,but a door
leading into St Michael's chapel on the W.,has been blocked
up & also one on the W. of the North wall. 
In 1815 a faculty was granted for taking down the gallery at
the W. End,& errecting a larger one,owing to the great increase
of population,& many inhabitants being unprovided with seats.
The new gallery to provide for the children now attended the
newly established school. 
In 1856 the East wall was rebuilt,& several alterations at
the E. end were made, as a memorial to Mr. Jones, who was
for long curate of W'. 
In 1876 a faculty was granted for the removal of the exist-
ing pews or seats & for new ones to be errected.
                                                             3.
In 1880 Wm Tanner, then lord of the Manor, restored the manor
chapel,& put in the two stained windows.  The reseating,floor-
ing & cleaning of the chancel took place at the same time.
In 1882 the stained glass window under the tower,put up by Mr.
Tanner in memory of his wife & daughter was damaged in a
gale, & was replaced by him with a new one.
More recently the present organ-chamber was erected,the organ
having been previously under the arch on the left of the chancel 
The Spire. 
An old record says" In the year 1583 W'. stone steeple in a
tempest of thunder & lightning was piteously rent & the
church moiled whereupon fell after discord between the old
parson Mr. Crondall & his parishioners,& just ten years after
1593) the like tempest & hurt happened to ye same steeple &
greater variance between Mr Nicholas Crondall & the parish-
ioners,so he lost his parsonage worth 200 marks ye ann." 
In 1811 the weather cock was taken down from spire & replaced
by a sailor. 
1827. The spire was struck by lightning & repaired for £65. 
1853. The spire not being considered safe, was taken down to
within a few courses of the tower & rebuilt by the same archi-
tect who built Frenchay Church. The old stones are set up in
an orchard of Hambrook House(in which Rev.John Pring was then
living.) Cost £387.10.6.
In 1922 the tower & steeple were restored. 

                                                             4.  
The original position of the effigies is unknown,but it is
not that which they now occupy. Those nearest to the N. wall
seem to be Sir Thomas Bradeston & Agnes,his 2nd wife. (His
first wife at Bradeston,by Berkly).).  The next are
probably Thomas( son of Sir Thomas) & Ela his wife.  The next
may be Blanche,wife of Robert,son of Sir Thomas, & father
of Thomas. The brass appears to commemorate her.  The much
defaced effigy of a lady, lying at the foot of the other
effigies may be of someone belonging to an earlier family
than the Bradestones.  The monument,under a canopy,under the
N.E. window, is said to commemorate Hickonstern, a member of
a family of W'. of whom traditions only exist. 







RECTORS.                                                1. 
The first rector mentioned is called Thomas, who must have
been appointed not later than 1281. 
In 1319 he is described as being infirm,& was suffering from
blindness.  He was ordered by the bishop to receive a coadjutor  
who was to take charge of him & of the parish,  He several
times refused to do so, & in 1324 the bishop,who now addresses
him as William warns him, on pain of excommunication,to obey
his order.  He must, apparently have been identical with
William of Hedingdone,who, after resigning the living, was
granted a pension in 1332. 
1332 Sept.13. John of Hereford was presented to the living.
In 1349 Robert Murdoch is mentioned as Rector. 
1368 May 19.  John Ailmer. 
1368 July 29. John Chippenham is mentioned as "parson of the
church of Wynterbourne."
1370. Jan 20. Richard Coleshull,"parson of the church of W'.
Exchanges benefices with Thomas Ocle,parson of the church of
St.Mary, Southampton. 
1370.  Jan 24. Thomas of Ocle is instituted. 
1371  Apl. 25. Richard Apelderham is presented to the living
on an exchange with Thomas Ocle. 
1371. Jul. 12. (William of Aston appears to have been present-
ed to the living on an exchange with Richard Apelderham.) 
1405. Jan 13. Sir Walter Fitzpiers,rector of W'., exchanges

                                                        2.
livings with Sir Henry Mory,rector of Colemere, dio. of
Chichester.  Sir Henry Mory is admitted to the church of W'.
( "Sir" is the common title of the clergy at this time). 
There seems to be no evidence as to how long Henry Mory con-
tinued to be rector,but at any rate there is a very long
period during which there does not appear to be any inform-
ation. 
1533-1538.(exact date not known) Robert Gylbert is described
as parson of  the parish church. 
John Parker is mentioned after him.
The names of several others are mentioned as having officiat-    
ed about  this time. 
1555 Jul. 2. Paul Bush,the first bishop of Bristol,which was
formed into  a diocese in the reign of Hen. VIII, after the
abolition of the Abbey of St. Augustine,& who was deprived of
his bishopric in the reign of  Queen Mary, compounded for the
first fruits of the rectory of W'. 
1559.Jan.21.  John Moore instituted.  Vacancy caused by the
death of Paul Bush, late incumbent. 
1567.15 Nov. Henry Weston.
1572. Nov. 29. Nicholas Crundall instituted. Suspended 1599. 
1600. Richard Bridges, M.A., instituted.
1642. Jun. 24. John Griffith compounded for first fruits. 
He died in 1697, aged 86; buried in the church. 
1698. Feb. 11. Richard Towgood instituted.

                                                           3.  
1713. Dec. 10. William Cary, M.A. 
1759. Apl.  John Saunders, D.D. 
1777. Apl. 16. Edward Warniford, B.D. buried in the church.  
1795. Jan. 25. Nathaniel Moore, L.D.D.,born 1744,died 1798.
1799. Jan. 24. Samuel Parker, B.D.
1827. Mar. 1. Thomas Whitfield. 
1834. Apl. 19. John Crosby Clark, B.D.( resigned same year).
1835. Jan 10. William Birkett Allen, D.C.L.
1863. May 8. Frank  Burgess,B.D. Died 17th July 1875,aged 62.    
1875. Arthur Henry Austen-Leigh,Vicar of Wargrave, Berks.
       from 1889.
1890.	Alfred Thomas Scrope Goodrick; died June 1914.
Charles James Burrough,M.A. from 1914.
                                                          4.
Mr. Carless, an architect who visited the church,says
that the  flat buttresses on the corners of the East end
are characteristic of the Norman style of the 12th century,
& by reason of their rather  bold projection belong to the
Transition period,  which is usually dated between 1160-1200.    
The pointed moulding to the Priests' door is a mark of the
transition period,& came into use about the same time as
the pointed arch,which began to be employed,concurrently
with semi-circular arches,during the transition period. 
The string course which runs horizontally around the chancel
is a characteristic section of the same period.  Certain
features of the porch doorway belong to the same period also.
From the evidence it looks as if a large portion of the
original church was late 12th century work;this may have
become ruinous, & have been restored,or "rebuilt" in the
13th century. 
     Thomas mentioned on Page 1. Of Rectors,is said to have
built the Church,but,if, as seems certain, a church
existed before 1281,this must mean "rebuilt".